Kate Roughley sentencing recap as nursery worker jailed for 14 years for killing nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan

Nursery worker Kate Roughley has been jailed for 14 years for the manslaughter of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan. Deputy manager Roughley, 37, swaddled the child before strapping her face down onto a bean bag.

The infant died of a combination of asphyxia and 'pathophysiological stress' following in the incident in May 2022 at Tiny Toes Nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport. Following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, Roughley was unanimously found guilty of manslaughter by jurors on Monday, May 20. She denied the offence; and an alternate offence of child cruelty.

READ MORE: The nursery worker that parents will never be able to forgive once they saw through her lies

Prosecutors told jurors that in the preceding days Roughley had 'taken against' Genevieve and had shown 'hostility' towards her. She was overheard on CCTV telling the crying child to 'stop your whinging', called her a 'stress head' and sang 'Genevieve, go home... Genevieve, go home'.

On May 9, 2022, Genevieve's parents dropped her off at the nursery, in Cheadle Hulme village. Less than an hour later, Roughley swaddled Genevieve in a blanket and put her in a cot face down with a blanket pulled over her. Roughley then placed a sheet over the far end of the cot, restricting the child's visibility.

Later, at around 1.30pm, Roughley swaddled Genevieve in a blanket, wrapping her arms and legs and put her face down on a bean bag, before strapping her down with a harness. Genevieve, known by her parents as Gigi, was left virtually immobilised and face down from 1.35pm to 3.12pm, when Roughley found her blue and unresponsive and raised the alarm.

Staff - then paramedics - attempted to revive Genevieve, but she was pronounced dead later that day in